During the 2017 Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (CLDE) Meeting, there are a variety of pre-conference sessions providing opportunities to hone in on our civic skills. On Wednesday, June 7th, consider attending one of the afternoon pre-cons geared toward measuring civic outcomes, educating for democracy, curriculum integration of civic responsibility, and a special civic workshop solely for students.

Check out the session descriptions below and be sure to register by May 1st for our early-bird rates.

Half-day Afternoon Pre-conference Workshops

Price: $65/person
Wednesday, June 7 | 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.  

  • Measuring Civic Outcomes During College

Organizers: H. Anne Weiss, Director of Assessment, Indiana Campus Compact and Assessment Specialist in Community Engagement, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; and Ross Markle, Senior Research & Assessment Director, Global Higher Education Division, ETS

As institutions implement high impact practices across their campuses, learning outcomes, curricular and co-curricular activities, and assessment tools can often become disjointed. This workshop will guide attendees through a concentrated, cooperative process of unpacking and measuring civic outcomes such as civic identity, working with others to solve wicked problems, civic mindedness, and being an agent for social change. Ultimately, participants will articulate the alignment (and in some cases, mismatch) between outcomes, interventions, and assessment methods. Attendees should come with a specific program or course in mind and consider bringing a colleague with whom you can brainstorm transdisciplinary assessment practices. Transdisciplinary assessment means that faculty and staff from different disciplines or units on campus work jointly to develop new or innovative measurement practices from which informed decisions can be made to improve practices surrounding students’ civic learning and democratic engagement during college. Attendees will be introduced to the plethora of measurement tools that purport to assess students’ civic learning and development, such as: AAC&U VALUE Rubrics, Civic Minded Graduate Rubric 2.0, campus-wide survey instruments (ETS Civic Competency and Engagement, NSSE, CIRP Surveys, PRSI, etc.), and a host of other pre to post and retrospective pre to post scales such as social dominance orientation, belief in a just world, or the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. After this facilitated discussion, participants will have a chance to apply certain tools to student artifacts such as essays, digital stories, and eportfolios. Applying the tools to artifacts will allow for participants to evaluate and synthesize their plans for assessing student civic learning and development as it relates to participating in high impact practices during college.  

  • Educating for the Democracy We Want, Not the One We Have

Organizers: Nancy Thomas, Director, and Ishara Casellas Connors, Associate Director, Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE), Jonathan M. Tisch College for Civic Life at Tufts University (Mass.)  

After a long and contentious presidential election season, the election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the U.S. stunned faculty, administrators, and students. University presidents issued post-election statements calling for a wide range of responses ranging from tolerance and understanding to vigilance and the protection of democratic principles. Many academics chastised themselves for not making conservative perspectives on campus more visible prior to the election. Others felt they had not done enough to demand truth and statements about public controversies based on facts. National elections represent a teachable moment in college student learning. Over the past two years, the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University has been studying campus climates - the norms, structures, behaviors, and attitudes – for political learning and engagement in democracy. From that research, we’ve identified several attributes of campus climates that may be conducive to political learning for all students, not just a few. Using resources developed by IDHE, workshop participants will have an opportunity to examine what worked and what did not work on their campuses during the 2016 election season. Participants will also examine their political climates beyond election seasons, with particular attention to areas for growth. Participants will leave with new tools, language, and perspectives for educating the next generation of politically engaged students in the context of the current national and regional political landscape in the U.S.

  • Integrating Civic Responsibility into the Curriculum

Organizers: Gail Robinson, Education Consultant; Duane Oakes, Faculty Director, Center for Community & Civic Engagement, Mesa Community College (Ariz.); Emily Morrison, Assistant Professor, Sociology, and Director, Human Services and Social Justice Program, George Washington University (DC.); and Cathy Doyle, Director, Sarbanes Center for Public and Community Service, Anne Arundel Community College (Md.)

Community engagement and academic learning are central to higher education’s mission. Explore ways to help faculty, staff, and administrators prepare students for effective involvement in a diverse democratic society, and examine the role and obligation of higher education to produce good citizens. This interactive workshop features hands-on activities that include looking at service learning from charity and social justice perspectives; identifying appropriate reflection activities; analyzing course syllabi for elements of civic responsibility and civic engagement; reviewing syllabi from the perspectives of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community partners; and integrating purposeful civic learning strategies into college courses.

Student Pre-Conference Workshop

For undergraduate students only and FREE!!

Organized by the 2017 CLDE Student Interns: Amber Austin, student, Tarrant County College (Texas); Tyler Ferrari, student, Chapman University (Calif.); and Christina Melecio, student, Winona State University (Minn.)  

This workshop will introduce students to #CLDEStuds17 that will provide a space to discuss issues that focus on being an active participant in the local and national communities, and will give students the tools to be effective activists in their communities. These open discussions will be held in large and small groups to effectively dissect the topics being discussed. To thoroughly accomplish our goals at the conference we hope that our peers come with open minds, and thoughtful ideas to contribute to discussions not only at this conference, but at home with their peers. There will be additional information closer to the conference for those who register. We hope to engage our attendees with new, and exciting, information that can further reach students across the nation, and actively enhance the Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement initiatives.
Be sure to register by May 1st for our best rates and book your hotel room by May 16 at our special group rate!

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